Reel for cables and wire



T. SUAREZ Y BERNAL ,1,726,131 REEL FoRcABLEs AND WIRE Original FiledNov. 1'7, 1926 Aug. 27, 1929.

INVENTOR. 75/14/5 SUAREZ Ym/YAL 3%7 mf@ ATTORNEY f Patented Aug. 27,1929.

UNITED armuresv TOMAS SUAREZ Y BERNAL, F SAN JUAN, PORTO RICO.

REEL ron CABLES AND WIRE.

Original application filed November 17,

1926, Serial No. 148,943. Divided and this. application led May 6,

1927. Serial N0. 189,233.

My present invention relates to reels for cables and wire, and moreparticularly, to a reel that will enable the wire or` cable to beunwound withouty the necessity of lifting or jacking up the reel fromthe ground and without the necessity for removing the lagging from theentire circumference ofthe reel.

This is a continuation in part of application Serial No. 148,943 filedNovember 17, 1926.

Large electric cables and Wires, such as the large lead sheathed cablesused in underground transmission are commonly Wound on large spools orreels. The cable has heretofore been protected from injury duringshipment by means of longitudinal boards or lagging nailed to the outerperipheral edges of the reel. To unwind and remove the cable from such aspool or reel, it was necessary to remove all of the lagging from theentire circumference of thereel and to then pass a shaft axially throughthe reel or spool and jack up the shaft until the edges of the reel werelifted from the ground. The necessity of removing the lagging tended toinjure the edge of the reels because the boards or lagging had to benailed in and removed each time that the reel was lled and shipped.Moreover, owing to carelessness or other causes,

the workmen frequently failed to return the lagging with the empty reel.Moreover, when the reel was a large one and was wound with a heavycable, the lifting or jacking up of the reel involved some considerablelabor.

These disadvantages are obviated by my present invention7 an object ofwhich is to provide a spool or reel for cables of all kinds whichpermits the cable to be unwound without the necessity of removing but asmall part of the lagging. i

Another object of the invention is to provide a spool or reel whichpermit-s the wire or cable to be unwound without the necessity ofjacking up and supporting the reel.

Still further objects and features of the invention are to provide apermanent supporting portion for the reel that at all times holds thereel in a position to be freely rotated and to provide means wherebythis reel may be locked from rotating relative to the supportingelement; to provide a supported reel of the above type, that may berotated within an enclosing and supporting structure without thenecessity of pulling on the end of the y cable; and, to provide asupported reel in which a cable Wound thereon may be tested for breaksor defects without unwinding the cableor removing the lagging from thereel.

With these and other objects in view, which will be more readilyapparent from the following description, the invention comprises thereel and supporting mechanism described in the following specilicationand claims.

The various features of the invention are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1, is a longitudinal sectional viewof a reel embodying a preferredform of the invention, n l

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a supported and covered reel, shown inl, sufficient of the projecting lagging having been removed toillustrate the manner of unwinding the cable and, j

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the modified form of thereel.

In my present invention a reel on which an electric cable may be woundis rotatably supported on al pair of end supporting plates. In thepreferred form of the invention the reel is entirely enclosed by meansof lagging permanently secured to the peripheral edge portions of thesupporting plate. The covering structure thus formed permits a cable tobe inserted and secured to the reel when but one or two of the boards ofthe lagging are removed to permit the passage of the reel. The reel maythen be rotated by appropriate means to wind the cable'on the reel untilthe vreel is lled with the proper length of cable. For shipping, thereel is then locked or secured to the supporting and enclosing structureand the space in the lagging is closed by lfastening in place theremoved boards. ,When the cable is to be unwound, the required openingis formed by removing the necessary boards of the lagging and the reelis unlocked and may be rotated to pass a desired length of cable outthrough the opening. When locked and enclosed in the supporting housingthe reel moves as a unit with its enclosing structure as does theordinary type of reel. When being wound or unwound With cable, the reelis not required to be liftedfrom the ground asy it is always supportedin a freely rotating position within its enclosing housing.

Referring, more particularly to the accompanying drawings, thesupporting structure for the reel comprises a pair-of endplates l() dand 11 having central bearings 12 and 13, mounted therein. The endplates and 11 are kept in properly spaced position by means of laggingboards 141 which extend subst-antially around the circumference of theplates l() and 1l.

Within the cylindrical chamber thus formed there is supported in thebearings 12 and 13, a freely rotatable reel 15. The reel 15 is providedat each end with an end retaining plate 16 or 17, respectively, forretaining the cable on the reel. At each end of the reel there are alsoprovided a pair of axially projecting trunnions 18 and 19, rotatablymounted in the f bearings 12 and 13, respectively. 'llius the reel 15 isrotatably supported in the bearings 12 and 13 and may rotate freelywithin the chamber formed by the supporting plates and the lagging 14.The diameter of the supporting plates 10 and 11 is larger than thediameter of the reel end plates 16 and 17 by a small amount justsuilicient to insure a free rotation of the reel. The diameter of thestructure as a Whole is, therefore, not appreciably increased over thatof the ordinary reel of the same capacity. Similarly the dis tancebetween plates 10 and 16 and 11 and 17, is just sufficient to providethe required clearance.

In winding acable 20 upon the reel 15 one or more of the lagging boardsare removed to provide. an entrance space as shown at 21 in Fig. One endof the cable may be inserted through this space and then pass through anopening 22 in the end plate 16 and be secured thereto by means of aproperly curved plate 23 that may be secured to the outer face of theplate 21. With this arrangement the end of the cable 20 is flush with orprojects slightly from the edge of the plate 16 so that electric contactmay be made therewith for testing purposes.

Vith lthe end of the cable thus secured, when the reel 15 is rotated thecable is drawn into the enclosing` structure and automatically Wound onthe reel. The reel 15 may be conveniently rotated by a crank 24 byhaving a square end adapted to be inserted in and lit a square socket 25in an end of the trunnionv 18. l/Vhen the requiredlength of cable iswound on the drum, a wedge26 may be inserted through the opening 21f anddriven between the end plate 17, and the end supporting plate 11 to thusanchor or lock thereel in a unitary manner with the enclosing housing',so that the supporting housing may be rolled in the usual manner withoutcausing the cable or reel therewithin to rotate .relatively toitsenclosing structure.y When the opening is closed by suitable lagging,the Wedge 26 is thereby positively secured in position. Tounwind thecable from ,the reel, it is merely necessary to remove sufficientlagging to expose the wedge 26 and provide a space 2 1 through which thecable may be passed. The remaining portion of the lagging remainsundisturbed and there is, therefore, no wearing or destruction of theedge of the reel, or of the supporting plates 10 and 11. rlhe removablelagging may be nailed in the usual manner or secured by other securingmeans so that its removal and replacement need not injure the edge ofthe supporting plates 10 and 11. To prevent any possibility of a rubbingof the plates 16 or 17 against the plates 10 and'll respectively and tosupport these plates in proper spaced relation, rollers 27 and 28 may bemounted on the plates 16 and 17 and contact with plates 10 and 11respectively.

iin Fig. 3 is shown a slightly different type of reel which may be usedwhen it is not desired to use a lagging or when a removable lagging isto be used. 1n this construction frustro-conical bearings 30 and 31 areprovided in the supporting plates 10 and 11, and a shaft 32 forsupporting the reel 15 is mounted in these bearings. rllhe shaft 32 isprovided at its ends with right handed and left handed screws 33 and311, respectively, so that by rotating the plates 10 and 11 in onedirection relative to the shaft 32, the plates approach each other untilthey contact with the plates 16 and 1?, respectively, and lock thesupporting plates tightly against the end plates of the reel. Byrotating the end plates in the reverse direction on the shaft the reelis freed.

The reel is provided with a similar pair of frustro-conicalv supportingbearings 35 and 36, which are supported on an Unthreaded part of theshaft 32, so that they may rotate freely relative to the supportingplates 10 and 11. rlhe shaft 32 is retained in its proper place relativeto the bearings 35 and 36 by means of sets of locked nuts 37 and 38 onthe threaded portion of the shaft 32suitable washers 3,9 and 40 beingprovided between the locked nuts on the adjacent faces of the bearings35 and 36.

With this construction the supporting plates may be very quickly andreadily locked against the end plates of the reel and very quicklyreleased therefrom. The lagging may be nailed to and removed' from theedge portions of the supporting plates l0 and 11 in the usual manner.This construction is, however, not to be used when a permanent laggingis desired.

Through my above described invention the cable is at all timesenclosed'within a suitable housing from which it may be removed asdesired, without destroyingany portion of the housing and in whichit maybe Alockedand thereupon transported and handled in the same manner asthe usual type of reel;- The invention also provides means by which thecable may be tested While still enclosedin the housing.

As changes of construction could vbe made within the scope of myinvention, it is intended that all matter contained in the abovedescription or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted asillustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having now'described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Let ters Patent is:

1. Apparatus of the type described which comprises a reel adapted tohave a cable wound thereon and having end plates, a pair of supportingplates slightly spaced from said end plates, bearings mounted centrallyof said supporting plates, trunnions projecting axially from said reeland mounted in said bearings, rollers between the end plates of saidreel and said supporting plates, an opening in one of the end plates osaid reel and means for securing an end of said cable in said opening,and lagging extending around the periphery of said supporting plates toenclose said reel.

2. Apparatus of the type described, which comprises a spool having endplates, support ing plates of slightly larger diameter than Vtrally onsaid supporting the outside of said end plates and adapted to support acovering lagging, a shaft supported in said supporting plates and extendthrough and supporting said spool, and means continuously associatedwith said supporting plates rfor supporting said end plates throughouttheir outer surfaces against lateral thrust.

3. Apparatus of the type described, which comprises a reel adapted tohave a cable mounted thereon and having end plates, a pair of supportingplates slightly spaced from said end plates and adapted to support acovering lagging, bearings mounted cenplates, trunnions projectingaxially from said reel and mounted in said bearings, said trunnionshaving square sockets in their projecting ends, and means continuouslyconnected to and associated with said supporting plates forv supportingand receiving end thrusts of said reel on the faces of said supportingplates.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

TOMAS SUAREZ Y BERNAL.

